EXPERIENCES IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION IN THE STATE OF MEXICO. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SECTOR

The states in Mexico have prioritized the issues of competitiveness, paying little attention to policies to promote innovation. Overall public policies in Mexico are more focused on the promotion of scientific research and less on closing the cycle that leads from there to the technological development and innovation. Despite having achieved some success the concept of state innovation system is not fully integrated. The decentralization process and the emergence of some regional industrial clusters indicates that it is important to pay more attention to innovation however, there is a lack of private sector awareness of the benefits that innovation can provide and about the gains relationships with research centers and higher education can produce. Particularly SMEs show little progress on issues raised above because there is a low level of interaction and coordination among actors of the innovation process.
During 2012 a project entitled "Development of State Systems of Innovation" in the State of Mexico started. The project, which is not over yet, is funded by the IDB and has the general objective to contribute to increase the innovation capacity of small and medium enterprises located in the State of Mexico via collaboration with technology development centers, universities and local governments making up the State Innovation System. To achieve this goal several sectors were identified, sectors that should be promoted in the State of Mexico include: chemical, pharmaceutical, plastics, floriculture, food processing, logistics, information technology and advanced manufacturing.
Within the various stages in which the project is being developed and focusing in the advanced manufacturing sector this article will present the steps of: sectorial dialogue and identification of opportunities for innovation. In the first stage of sectorial dialogue the aim was to bring together all players and establish the advanced manufacturing capabilities to determine which technological innovation capabilities they have. In the second stage, the aim is in the identification of which innovation projects could be carried out and write proposals for obtaining public funds to finance at least 50% of projects´ budget. All projects submitted by the companies are required to be made in partnership with two other actors in the innovation system, one of which must be a research center or university.
Up to now three projects got funding to develop during 2013, but efforts to get more projects proposals continue. This article will summarize all activities and the experiences gained so far. Mutual learning will be valuable to develop sustainably in the state system of innovation in the State of Mexico and then to replicate this model in other states in Mexico and possibly in other countries